Aston Villa's dream transfer?! Unai Emery's side remain willing to bid for Joao Felix before transfer deadline but harbour doubts over whether deal can be struck

Atletico Madrid are willing to let Joao Felix leave this summer, particularly after the £82 million (€95m/$104m) acquisition of Julian Alvarez from Manchester City earlier this month. Felix has featured prominently for Atletico across pre-season despite falling out with manager Diego Simeone but the La Liga side are still hoping to get his wages off the books this summer.

Villa have spent big this summer and Emery has previously admitted that the club wanted to sign players like Felix. Having qualified for the Champions League this season, Emery's dreams could soon become a reality, although there are concerns that both Atletico's asking price and Felix's wages could prove to be a stumbling block, according to The Mirror.

No team in world football has spent more than Aston Villa this summer, with the Premier League side splashing out more than €176m (£150m/$192m) on eight new signings, such as Amadou Onana.

Villa open their Premier League campaign with a trip to West Ham next week but the club are unlikely to add any new signings before they kick off the new season, with the focus expected to be on sales. The likes of Diego Carlos and Jhon Duran are still being linked with moves away and it might take a significant departure to feasibly open the door to Felix's arrival.